Mistakes
by Ketsui Tasogare
Summary: Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)
1. Chapter 1

**Mistakes**

Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

 **Chapter 1: Asking**

It was late afternoon in Konoha; the sun began to set and bathed the village in orange and gold light. The flow of people in the streets had increased as everyone loved going out on a Friday. The streets were loud with talk of weekend plans and nights out with friends. The mood was very lively in the streets of Konoha.

Ino Yamanaka just helped her last clients of the day and took off her yellow apron and put it away. She walked around the counter and picked up one of the roses and took in its aroma. She carefully observed the rose. It had sharp thorns on its stem in order to protect itself. In Spring when this beautiful flower bloomed, it often took a while for it open up completely. She observed the flower with a smile on her face as she compared it to her close friend and teammate Shikamaru.

"Hmm…sharp intellect to protect himself on the battlefield and it takes a while for him to truly open up. Yup, out of all these flowers, Shikamaru is definitely like a rose." She spoke out loud. _She remembered the day she told him that he was like a rose. It was two months ago. It was team Asuma's day off, Ino and Shikamaru were in an open field. The sun was hot that day and Shikamaru was lying in the shade of a large tree. Ino had just picked a rose and sat next to him. She spun the flower between her two fingers as it had no thorns yet._

" _You know Shikamaru, you remind me of a rose." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and waited for her to keep talking._

" _If I were to compare you to a flower, you'd be a rose."_

" _Why is that?" he asked_

" _Because, just like the rose has sharp thorns for protection, you have a sharp intellect. And the petals open up slowly, kind of like your emotions. But once you and the rose open up, you become something truly amazing." She finished. Shikamaru looked at her differently; he'd never heard Ino say anything like that to him._

She swung the keys around her index finger as she walked to the front door. Ino closed up the 'Yamanaka Flower Shop' for the day and started walking home. Just as she began her ten minute walk home, she passed someone leaning on the wall of the flower shop.

"Yamanaka." The person addressed her. Ino turned around and found none other than Sasuke Uchiha leaning casually on the wall with his eyes closed.

"Oh, hey Sasuke." She greeted and walked towards him. "What's up?"

"I need to ask you something."

"I'm great too thanks for asking." She sarcastically said

"As you already know its Sakura's birthday in seven days. I need to do something special for her and no one knows her better than you." he explained

"Do my ears deceive me? Is **the** __Sasuke Uchiha asking me for help?" she teased. He shot her a death glare.

"Oh relax, I'm just teasing you. Of course I'll help. Actually I remember her saying that she wasn't expecting much, but that doesn't mean that you don't have to get her anything." Ino thought for a while then finally came up with an idea.

"Hmm… you can take her on a date to her favourite restaurant. She'll be so tired after working her shift at the hospital, a night out would be perfect. You'll start off with dinner, give her a gift, go for a walk and stop at her favourite place in the whole village." She had the entire date planned out in her head.

"But the night has to go perfectly. Meet me back here in an hour in semi-formal clothing." She instructed as she began walking away.

"Why?" he asked in a monotonous tone.

"Because were going on a practise date."


	2. Chapter 2: Practice Date

**Mistakes**

Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

 **Chapter 2: Practise Date**

It was 18:30 in the evening and the sun hadn't completely set, the sky was a mixture of pink and orange. Sasuke stood outside of the shop with his hands in his pockets dressed in black jeans, an ironed white, tucked in men's shirt, with a skinny black tie and a navy blazer. Ino had just arrived dressed in jet black high heels with a buckle, a royal purple, just above the knee length, semi-fitted shift dress with long sleeves and her long ice blond hair tied up in a slick pony tail.

"Wow, don't we look dapper?" she complimented him. He greeted her with a raised eyebrow. The two of them walked to the restaurant but not in complete silence. When you were with Ino Yamanaka silence wasn't very common.

"On your way to the restaurant you two are obviously going to be talking about your day or whatever you two usually talk about." She started. They walked for 10 minutes until they finally reached the restaurant. It was a lot bigger than the usual ramen stands. They sat at a slightly smaller table for couples. It had three panels around them which made the scene a lot more private. Ino spoke up as they waited for their food to arrive.

"This is the most important part of the date because this is where the both of you will be talking the most and where you'll give Sakura her gift." Sasuke listened as she explained. Over the course of the evening Sasuke had a small plate of rice balls, while Ino jumped right into desert and had custard pudding. After they ate, they left the restaurant and headed towards a new destination.

"Now where are we going?" Sasuke asked in quite an irritated tone as she took his hand and pulled him along the way. Her hand felt very warm in Sasuke's and she suddenly felt something she couldn't explain but quickly shook it off.

"We're going to buy Sakura a gift." She simply answered him. They walked into a jewellery shop and browsed the various precious stones on chains or on rings. They both spotted the same gift at the same time. The perfect gift for Sakura, it was a diamond cherry blossom on a silver chain. They nodded at each other in agreement and asked one of the workers to take it out of the glass to have a closer look at it.

"It's gorgeous." She stared at it in awe. "We better make sure it's the right length." She told him. Sasuke took the necklace and unclipped it; Ino moved her pony tail out of the way and watched Sasuke put the necklace on her. The feeling of the cold metal and his knuckles brushing against her skin as he clipped the necklace on sent shivers down her spine. She observed herself in the mirror with the necklace on and Sasuke standing very close behind her. It was a perfect fit.

"Well does it fit?" he asked in a casual tone. Ino broke out of her thoughts at the sound of his voice.

"Um… yeah it's perfect. She's going to love it." She answered and looked up at him. The both of them stared into each other's eyes for the longest time until Ino broke eye contact.

"We um… we better get going." She said in a whisper. Sasuke bought the necklace and followed closely behind Ino as they walked to the final place of their practise date.

They walked for ten minutes more; Ino had been extremely quiet and seemed to be lost in thought. She had been acting that way ever since Sasuke put the necklace on her. They arrived at the final place; it was the bridge over the lake that team 7 usually waited for Kakashi sensei on. It looked a lot more beautiful at night when the lanterns were lit and their light reflected over the water. Ino stopped and put her hands on the rails, closed her eyes and took in a breath of air. Sasuke watched her and actually admired the way the she looked. The way the wind swept her long hair and the way the moonlight radiated off her flawless skin. Ino really looked beautiful. She snapped him out of his thoughts when she extended her hand towards him with a bright smile on her face. He looked her sceptically with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you have to dance with her." Was all she said. He gave her another look before he took her hand and walked towards her. He gently put his arms around her waist. Ino wrapped her arms around his neck. They slowly danced in a circle. Sasuke would never admit this in words but he was actually enjoying himself. After a few minutes-obviously caught up in the moment- they got closer and held each other in an intimate hug. There was something about the way Ino's arms fit around his neck and the way his arms fit around her waist that felt so… natural.

"You know, Sakura is really lucky to have a guy like you, Sasuke." She started. Sasuke didn't say anything.

"Doing this is very un-Sasuke-like of you. You usually keep things on the down low when it comes to your relationship with Sakura. If I remember correctly you said that your relationship with her was intimate and that you didn't need to show it to the rest of the world, because it didn't involve them." She carried on

"I just want everything to go perfectly. She deserves it." He spoke up

Ino raised an eyebrow; she was genuinely surprised by Sasuke. Obviously everything he put Sakura through took more of a toll on him than he let on. She could see that he really wanted everything to go perfectly. He wanted more than anything to make Sakura happy.

They danced for a few more minutes in silence.

"Oh I almost forgot, to make this scene really special and romantic, you should spin her out then dip her. Let's give it a try." she suggested.

Sasuke took her hand and let her spin out then pulled her back in and dipped her. They stared at each other in their position before Sasuke slowly lifted her back up without breaking eye contact.

"That was perfect." She replied slowly.

Sasuke's onyx eyes were locked on her light blue eyes. They found themselves leaning in until their lips met in a gentle kiss. Ino felt butterflies in her stomach as she kissed him and felt him kiss back. She couldn't enjoy the kiss anymore if she wanted to. So that was what it was like kissing an Uchiha…amazing. After a few seconds she became conscious of her actions and immediately pulled away.

"Oh my gosh Sasuke, I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." She felt so guilty. But the damage had already been done. Little did they know that they had already been seen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Mistakes**

Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

 **Chapter 3: Seeing Is Believing**

She rested on a high branch in a tall tree and placed her hand on her chest as she breathed heavily and knew her chakra was almost depleted. Tenten was exhausted. She had been sparring with Neji for over two and a half hours and had yet to beat him but she wasn't about to give up any time soon. Tenten observed Neji from where she was and saw that he wasn't as scratched up as she was but she knew he was just as tired. His rotation technique combined with his air palm jutsu took a lot of chakra. She had to think of an idea that wouldn't require a lot of chakra but still effective enough to beat her ANBU partner.

She had just enough chakra for one last jutsu. She closed her eyes and took a breath then sprung into action. She jumped into another tree just above Neji and launched an arsenal of weapons at him. Neji quickly turned on his Byakugan and started his rotation. All the weapons deflected off the chakra shield and littered the ground around him. Tenten quickly jumped out of the tree and ran towards Neji and they engaged in Taijutsu. He threw a punch towards her but she ducked and swept her leg under him but he jumped before she could trip him. She quickly stood up and tried to kick him in the stomach but he caught her leg and spun her and knocked her to the ground. He breathed heavily as he watched her lay on the ground, then suddenly she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"A shadow clone." He deduced. While the smoke from the shadow clone was clearing, a wave of kunai's was shot at Neji.

" _Not enough chakra for the rotation or the Byakugan. I guess Taijutsu is my only option."_ He thought in his head. He took out a kunai from his pouch and deflected some of the weapons, but one of them cut his left arm. As he clutched his arm in pain Tenten leaped out of the tree that she launched the kunai from and ran at him at top speed. She tried to punch him but he caught her fist with his right hand. They stood locked in their position and looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds until Tenten smirked and dropped a smoke bomb, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Another shadow clone." He panicked as he tried to find his way out of the smoke. Then out of nowhere the real Tenten came out of the ground and jumped on his back and leaned back to make him lose balance. Just before he hit the ground she flipped over him and wrapped her legs around his waist and hit the ground on top of him. Then she held a kunai over his neck. She leaned in close to his face and smiled.

"I finally beat you Neji Hyuuga." She managed to brag as she panted and got off him then helped him up. Neji stood up and dusted himself off with a smirk.

"After months of training you finally managed to beat me. My skills must be rubbing off on you." Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself Hyuuga. I beat you with my own skills." Tenten saw his wound. "Your arm is bleeding pretty badly, let me bandage it up." She said as she got a roll of bandage from her backpack. They sat down on the grass together. Tenten lifted up his sleeve and slowly wrapped the bandage around his arm. After covering Neji's wound, Tenten went and sat at the base of a nearby tree with a bottle of water. Neji however was staring into the distance with his Byakugan turned on, trying to make sense of an impossible situation he witnessed while he sparred with Tenten.

"Yamanaka and Uchiha kissing. Impossible." He tried to make sense of the situation in his head but couldn't come up with any explanation.

"…eji, Neji, what are you looking at?" she looked at him with a confused expression. He looked at her for a few seconds before he answered.

"I… it's nothing." He decided not to tell her. It was none of his business anyway. Tenten knew he wasn't telling the truth but she decided not to pester him about it. As the evening got darker the young pair gathered up their things and headed back to the village. Neji walked Tenten home; they stood outside her apartment as they talked.

"We still on for lunch tomorrow?" she asked

"Of course right after training."

"So I get to beat you in training again and you treat me to lunch. Sounds like a perfect day." She stated with a smirk. Neji raised an eyebrow and smirked back at her.

"That was nothing more than luck Tenten. And the fact that I ran out of chakra" He answered.

"Sure Neji, whatever you say." She sarcastically replied as she unlocked her door. He just rolled his eyes. She loved getting to him. His silence meant she won the argument. Most of the time he let her win because he didn't feel like arguing with her. She accepted the victory though, hollow as it was.

"I'll see you tomorrow Neji. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Tenten." He answered before he turned and headed to the entrance.

Tenten went inside and leaned against her door and thought about Neji. She couldn't hide the smile on her face as she thought about him but it soon faded as she thought about the information he kept from her. She walked into her room and sat down on the bed with her eyes closed. She thought about her sparring match with Neji. The technique she used was effective, it was definitely worth remembering. About ten minutes later, she stood up and headed to the bathroom with a towel in hand. She took a shower before she went to bed. She climbed into her soft bed and turned off her lamp. As she waited for fatigue to take over she thought about Neji and what he didn't tell her back on the training grounds. What was he not telling her? She just had to know.


	4. Chapter 4

**Mistakes**

Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

 **Chapter 4: Secrets**

The next morning arrived and the temperature was extremely high. It was the hottest day Konoha had experienced in a long time. Neji and Tenten decided to keep their training short because of the hot weather. Tenten was doing target practise and Neji was working on his air palm jutsu when an ANBU member arrived in a cloud of smoke. He was dressed in the usual ANBU attire and porcelain animal mask.

"Neji Hyuga you have been summoned by the Hokage." He addressed him. Neji looked at the man then at Tenten.

"I have to go Tenten."

"Of course. I'll see you later." She said and watched him leave. Tenten couldn't help but feel anxious about him leaving. What could the Hokage possibly want with Neji?

Xxx

Ino heard a knock at her door and went downstairs to see who it was. She opened the door to her pastel pink haired frenemy Sakura Haruno who had a container of cinnamon rolls in her hands.

"Hey Ino, my mom sent me over to bring these for your mom." She greeted and walked right in.

"Oh, you can put those in the kitchen." She said as she closed the door. Ino heard Sakura's footsteps fade as she walked into the kitchen.

"That's a pretty fancy dress Ino. Were you out last night?" Sakura asked as she came out of the kitchen and took a seat on the couch. Ino looked down and realised that she hadn't changed out of her dress when she got home after her 'date' with Sasuke.

" _I must have fallen asleep with it on"_ she thought. "Um, yeah I was just out with Sa-"she quickly stopped herself from finishing her sentence by slapping her hand over her mouth.

"I was out with… someone." She quickly recovered. _"We said we wouldn't tell anyone, especially not Sakura."_ She said in her head. Sakura gave her a look that said she didn't believe her story but she didn't question Ino about it, to her relief.

It had been twenty minutes since Neji left to see the Hokage. Tenten stood in the centre of the forest with her eyes closed and her large scroll in hand. There were targets on every tree around her. She stood on her right foot and twirled while she opened the scroll and summoned an endless amount of kunai and threw them in every direction as she spun. The kunai flew and nailed their targets, each and every one of them. Tenten finally stopped spinning and opened her eyes and was pleased to see that every single kunai she threw hit the target right in the middle. Satisfied she wiped the sweat from her face and sighed heavily as she walked to her backpack to get her bottle of water when Neji suddenly returned. She quickly ran over to him to find out what the Hokage said to him.

"So what did Lady Tsunade summon you for?" she asked

"I have been promoted to ANBU captain." He simply said as he was still trying to soak it in himself.

"ANBU Captain! That's amazing, congratulations Neji!" she congratulated him and in excitement she threw her arms around him. She hugged him for a while.

"Tenten." He calmly said and resisted the urge to smirk. She finally realised that she had been hugging him for a little too long.

"Oh, right…sorry" she quickly let go of him. "Well this calls for a celebration." She announced and took his hand and pulled him along.

"Where are we going?" he simply asked

"I'm treating you to lunch right now; let's go." She answered

When they arrived at the restaurant Tenten ordered a small plate of Chinese buns and Neji ordered Soba noodles with Herring. During their meal Tenten was quiet and Neji knew why. He was just waiting for her to ask. Tenten had grown extremely curious. She just had to know.

"Hey Neji, I know it's none of my business, but what did you see yesterday?" she asked and looked at him straight in the eyes. She was completely serious. Neji exhaled and knew she wouldn't take anything but the truth.

"I saw Yamanaka and Uchiha together."

"So, what's the big deal?" she asked

"They were kissing." He casually replied. Tenten's eyes widened in surprise.

"They were kissing!" She silently shouted. "Are you sure?" she lowered her voice and leaned in because her previous reaction got her some attention from the other people in the restaurant. Neji explained the entire scene he witnessed. From the moment they were dancing up to the moment they kissed. Tenten got more and more surprised the further Neji explained the story. She just couldn't understand it, Sasuke and Ino together. It just didn't make any sense. Sasuke and Sakura had been dating for a year now. Why would Sasuke suddenly be kissing Ino? Whatever the reason, it was a pretty big secret to keep from his girlfriend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Mistakes**

Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

 **Chapter 5: Happy Birthday**

Friday morning arrived and Sakura woke up with a smile. She stretched, made her bed and went to the shower. As she washed her hair she thought about the day ahead, seeing all her friends, eating great food but most of all seeing her boyfriend Sasuke. He wasn't the type of guy to yell 'Happy Birthday' to you but he still had a way of making her feel special.

She got dressed, tied her headband around her short pink hair and went downstairs for breakfast. Just as she walked into the kitchen the sweet smell of her favourite food filled the air. She walked to the table and found a bowl of Shiratama Anmitsu (mochi, bean jam, agar, and pieces of fruit served in syrup) and note next to it that read _'Happy Birthday Sakura, love mom'._

She smiled at the note and sat down to enjoy her sweet birthday breakfast. Afterwards she left the house at 08:30 and headed to the hospital. When she walked in some of her partners walked by and wished her happy birthday. Sakura was having a great day.

Xxx

Lunch time arrived and Sakura went outside to eat her lunch. About twenty minutes after she sat down someone came behind her and covered her eyes. She smiled for she knew exactly who it was.

"Hey Sasuke. Come for a check-up?" she joked. He removed his hands and sat down next to her.

"No, I just came to find out if you're free tonight."

"Hmm… I don't know if I'll be able to fit you in Sasuke. My day is pretty full." She teased and rested her head against his shoulder with her eyes closed. She could feel him glaring at her which made her smile.

"I'm just kidding Sasuke. You know I always put you first. My shift ends at six." She chuckled and opened her eyes. They both stood up as it was time for Sakura to head back in.

"Good, I'll pick you up at seven." He replied. Before he left she put her arms around him and hugged him with a smile. He lifted up her head and tenderly kissed her on the lips before he left in a cloud of smoke. After dating for a whole year he still managed to make her blush.

Xxx

Sakura's shift ended ten minutes ago. She was on her way home when she bumped into Hinata.

"Hey Hinata." She greeted with a smile.

"Hi Sakura happy birthday." She said in her high voice and handed Sakura a gift. Sakura took the gift and opened it to see a small white diary with the ends of the pages a shiny silver colour.

"Thanks Hinata it's beautiful."

"So are you doing anything special tonight?" she asked and walked alongside Sakura.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Sasuke later. He's got something special planned." She replied as they stopped outside Sakura's house.

"That sounds interesting. Well enjoy your birthday." She said as she headed home. Sakura unlocked the front door and went upstairs to her bedroom. She took out her favourite dress and put it on the bed and went to take a shower. Ten minutes later she emerged from the steam filled bathroom and into her bedroom. She checked the time as she dried her hair. It was already 18:30. Sasuke would arrive to pick her up in half an hour. She put on her dress and zipped it up before she proceeded to her dressing table to brush her hair and tie it up in a simple pony tail.

She checked herself in her full length mirror and couldn't help but admire how she looked. She had her hair tied up with a side swept fringe. She wore a long sleeved, crimson, floor length dress, with double mid-thigh slits. The dress was accompanied by black heels.

Sakura heard a knock on the door and quickly checked herself one last time before she went downstairs. She opened the door to find her boyfriend Sasuke standing on the other side wearing the same outfit he wore on his practise date with Ino. Black jeans, an ironed white, tucked in men's shirt, with a skinny black tie and a navy blazer. They both stared at each other and how they were dressed. Sasuke was the most surprised though. This was the formal side to Sakura and he really liked the view. Especially where her long legs were concerned. After they greeted each other, Sakura took Sasuke's hand as they walked to the restaurant to start their date.

Ino had turned her entire closet upside down trying to pick out the perfect dress to wear out to dinner with her friends. She had suggested the idea of meeting for dinner to catch up while Tenten told her about Neji's promotion. So they mutually agreed to go out to dinner for both reasons. They all even agreed to come dressed formally. The group consisted of her, Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji, Naruto and Hinata. If it wasn't Sakura's birthday, she and Sasuke would be joining them.

After searching for over an hour, Ino finally found a dress she wanted to wear. It was a black halter dress with a plunging v-neckline and a single, thin horizontal panel that ran across the middle of her chest as not to be too revealing. It cinched in mid-thigh and continued peplum style up to her knees and was accompanied by peep-toe black heels. Her hair was in a neat bun with her long fringe covering her right eye as usual.

She heard a knock from the front door and went downstairs to leave with her partner. Shikamaru was waiting outside for his teammate dressed in fitted charcoal trousers, a black shirt and a charcoal blazer. He stood with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey shikamaru, I didn't think you were coming." She addressed him with a smile.

"It's not like you gave me a choice." He casually replied

"Oh yeah, I didn't. But I don't understand why you're complaining, all of us haven't been together in so long." she stated as they started walking.

"This whole thing is such a drag. We saw each other just a month ago."

"Only a month ago." She corrected him.

Tenten had just locked her apartment door and went downstairs to the entrance. She had her hair in a single braid that sat over her shoulder on the right side and kept her usual fringe. She wore a sapphire coloured, sleeveless, mandarin collared mullet dress and black, flat sandals with silver embellishments. Just as she stepped outside, she saw Neji waiting for her. He was dressed in black pants, white shirt and a black blazer. Neji's eyes widened slightly as he took notice of how she looked in her dress and her differently styled hair. He had never seen her this different before. She was always in her ANBU uniform or her everyday outfit. She really looked beautiful and Neji couldn't deny that.

"So this is what you look like under all that uniform. Who knew?" She stated as they started walking to the restaurant. Neji could see that she was slightly self-conscience of how she looked. After a few seconds he spoke up.

"I've never seen you dress this differently. You look…nice." He complimented. Tenten couldn't hide the smile on her face. Knowing Neji for as long as she had, she knew that that compliment-simple as it was-was genuine and as close as she was going to get to being called pretty. What he actually meant to say was that she looked absolutely breath-taking but he just could find the right way to say it.

Everyone had arrived and was seated at the restaurant by 19:30. Hinata and Naruto were the first ones to arrive. Naruto was dressed in a navy blazer, white shirt with the first two buttons undone to reveal his necklace and navy jeans. Hinata wore a fitted, knee length, white, one shoulder, long sleeve dress along with silver heels. She kept her hair loose.

From left to right the seating arrangements were, Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Ino and Shikamaru. Their food arrived five minutes after they ordered. The group began eating, talking and having a good time.

Meanwhile Sasuke and Sakura's dinner section of their date was almost done as they had already eaten and Sasuke just gave Sakura her gift. She opened it in excitement and was speechless when she saw the diamond necklace. Just as he clipped it around her neck, Sakura wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek, obviously grateful for the gift.

"Sasuke, it's absolutely gorgeous. I love it." She excitedly thanked him then pecked him on the lips.

As they stood up to leave, Sakura noticed a young woman in a black dress with blonde hair and an incredibly long fringe, coming out of the bathroom and heading to a certain table. Sakura knew only one person with a fringe that long. Ino. She directed her focus to the table she was heading to and saw the group. She had no idea they were in the same restaurant the whole time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Mistakes**

Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

 **Chapter 6: Confrontations**

"Hey Sasuke, let's go say hi to the others." She said and started walking towards their table. Sasuke followed closely behind.

"Hey guys, what's the occasion?" she asked

"We would ask you the same thing if it wasn't your birthday." Tenten answered with a smile

"We're just catching up with each other over dinner." Ino replied

"And celebrating Neji's promotion." Naruto added

"Promotion?" Sakura asked

"Yes, Lady Tsunade promoted him to ANBU captain this morning." Hinata replied

"Wow congratulations Neji." She congratulated him

"Thank you." he politely replied. He looked from Sakura to Sasuke who had an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Yeah congrats Hyuuga. Maybe now you'll be some real competition for me." He arrogantly commented.

"Sasuke!" Sakura was surprised by his comment.

"You should watch what you say Uchiha." He warned

"Or what?" he dared him

"All I'm saying is that I got promoted because I trained for it and not just because I was born with a powerful kekegenkai like you."

"Oh and you weren't born with a kekegenkai, **Hyuuga**." He emphasised his surname

"But unlike you, I didn't rest on the fact that was born with remarkable abilities; I carried on training even with the Byakugan. You on the other hand got stronger because you got forbidden jutsu and drug enhancements given to you by an S-rank psychopath. Not because of skill and training." He advanced

"Neji!" Tenten tried to stop him for she knew if they continued arguing like this it would lead to trouble. Everyone at the table fell silent as things got a little tense.

"Watch it Hyuuga, or you'll make me do something I'll regret." He grew angrier

"You mean the way you betrayed everyone at this table, including your own girlfriend." He shot back. Everyone's eyes widened with shock. Nobody spoke of that incident; they all tried to leave it in the past. Sasuke was furious. Nobody spoke to him like that.

"That one was below the belt Hyuuga." He said through gritted teeth and tightened his fist.

"That may be so, but I find cheating on your girlfriend is just as low if not lower Uchiha." he calmly replied. And there it was. The very information Tenten was afraid would come out. There was no turning back now. That last sentence hit everyone like a slap in the face. Ino looked down in guilt and Sakura turned her attention to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, what's he talking about?" She asked in confusion in case she'd heard wrong. His silence made her ask again.

"Sasuke, what's he talking about?" she asked in a slower and lower voice. Tenten was about to say something but was stopped when she felt her cheeks flush because she felt Neji's hand on her knee. She looked up at him and saw him shake his head. She understood what he was trying to say. And he was right; the situation was out of her hands. It was better to let the people involved work it out. She looked to her left and saw Ino stand up.

"Maybe it's better if I explain." Ino started

"Ino?" Sakura looked at her in confusion

"Last week Friday, Sasuke came by the flower shop and asked me to help him come up with an idea for your birthday. So I suggested this date and the gift. We wanted to make sure everything would go perfectly, so we went on a practise date. And that's when… a few lines were crossed." She explained

"What do you mean?" she tried to keep her voice calm. Ino sighed before she answered

"…I kissed him."

Sakura froze-along with everyone else at the table-as soon as Ino finished. She was not prepared to hear that. Her boyfriend kissing another girl and keeping it a secret.

"But as soon as he kissed back I-"She was cut off

"He kissed back." Sakura repeated with tears at the corners of her eyes. She didn't know whether to be sad or furious. There were a million things rushing through her head. She didn't know what to believe.

"Sakura that kiss didn't mean anything, I promise, it was a mistake." Ino tried to explain

"Look Ino I know we don't always get along, but kissing my boyfriend is a little extreme." She couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

"Whoa, Sakura this has nothing to do with that. I would never stoop that low. With the situation we were in, I… it just couldn't be helped." She tried to explain and got slightly emotional in the process.

"I can't believe you guys did this. And you Sasuke…" she looked up at him, searching for some type of reason or explanation, but saw what she always saw, his casual onyx eyes. She turned around and left the restaurant.

"Sakura wait!" Ino left the table and went after her. By the time she got outside Sakura was already gone. Ino looked in all directions but there was no sign of Sakura. She sighed and took a seat on one of the benches near the restaurant. She rested her chin on her right hand and tried to clear her head. A few minutes later she felt something warm cover her shoulders. It was a blazer. She looked up to see Shikamaru standing next to her.

"Some night, huh?" she spoke up and wiped a tear from her eye. He took a seat next to her.

"Ino you shouldn't beat yourself up so hard about this." He began

"Shikamaru I kissed Sasuke. Who kisses someone else's boyfriend?" she looked down in shame

"You said yourself, it was a mistake." He tried to talk some sense into her.

"A mistake that could have been completely avoided. I turned a completely innocent situation into some kind of scandal. I should never have kissed him." She couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

"At least you pulled back." He put his hand on her shoulder.

"I wish I could take that kiss back."

"The fact of the matter is; you can't take it back. All mistakes happen for a reason Ino. They teach you a lesson." He explained

"Yeah, don't kiss someone else's boyfriend. I already know that one Shikamaru."

"Then that obviously wasn't the lesson you were supposed to remember. You kissed Sasuke and he kissed you back. But you came to your senses and pulled away, if you hadn't the situation would have been a lot worse. You may be a skilled kunoichi Ino, but you're still a human who makes mistakes." He finished

"I guess that's true." She took his words to heart. He stood up and held out his hand to Ino. She wiped away her final tear before she smiled and took his hand and stood up. Ino was somewhat back to her old self as she and Shikamaru walked to her house. They stopped outside her door. Ino looked up at Shikamaru with a bright smile.

"That's what I like to see." He smiled back at her. She took off his blazer and felt the warmth leave her shoulders as she put his blazer on him and fixed his collar.

"Always the perfectionist." He chuckled. After she fixed his collar, she put her arms around him and held him in a warm embrace. She felt safe in his arms. While she was in his arms nothing else mattered; every worry she had suddenly disappeared. Shikamaru was very special to Ino; he always knew what to do and what to say to make her feel better. Beneath that nonchalant exterior was an amazing leader and friend that she couldn't do without. She wished she could stay with her arms around him forever. Shikamaru was quite surprised, but eventually he put his arms around her. They stood embraced in each other's arms for a while until Ino spoke up.

"You really are an amazing person Shikamaru." She looked up at him. She spoke more to herself then to him as though she tried to prove something to herself. Shikamaru just looked down at her in confusion before she surprised him.

She kissed his cheek before she went inside but not before she gave him one last smile. Shikamaru stood in place and put his hand over his cheek where Ino kissed him. He had a smile on his face.

"Women." He said with a smile

Xxx

Later that evening, Ino was in her lilac pyjama dress lying on her bed with her arms folded behind her head. She was staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything that happened that night, when something at her window got her attention. She stood up and walked to her window to find a red rose and a white lily on top of a note. Ino opened her window to take in the flowers and the note. She opened it and read it.

" _I may be like a rose, but you're definitely like a lily. Pure and beautiful_. _Never forget that."_ She smiled after reading it. He always knew how to cheer her up. Ino held the flowers to her chest and closed her eyes only to whisper the words…

"Thank you Shikamaru."


	7. Chapter 7

**Mistakes**

Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

 **Chapter 7: Broken Hearts**

Neji walked Tenten back to her apartment but there was an awkward silence between them. They had been silent ever since they left the restaurant. Everyone decided to call it a night after the whole Ino, Sasuke incident.

"Well that was…tense." Tenten spoke up. Neji remained silent the entire way back. Tenten unlocked her door and went inside, Neji followed after her. He sat down on the couch while Tenten went into the kitchen to make tea for the both of them. As the water boiled, Tenten thought about what happened at the restaurant, the entire confrontation between Sasuke and Neji was completely unnecessary. If they hadn't clashed heads Sasuke's secret wouldn't have come out. She had yet to realise that her hand was too close to the stove, and reacted too late when the searing pain spread through her hand from the hot plate. She cried out in pain as she removed her hand from the stove.

"Tenten, are you alright?" Neji asked from the other room.

"Um…yeah I'm fine." She replied as she ran her hand under cold water to ease the pain. Knowing Neji Hyuuga he would probably figure out she got hurt in less than five minutes. She poured the hot water into the cups and placed them on trays.

"You sure you don't want anything with your tea?" she asked

"No thank you." he replied

Tenten emerged from the kitchen with the tray of tea and placed it on the table. She took her cup and sat down on the couch with her legs crossed. They sipped their tea and talked for more than an hour. They'd been talking for longer than they thought as it was already 22:30. Both of them had fallen asleep on the couch. Tenten was sleeping against Neji while he had his arm around her shoulder. Neji slowly opened his eyes and looked around, he had no idea he had fallen asleep. He looked to his side and found Tenten asleep against him along with his arm around her. She was fast asleep and had her hand over his. There was something unusual about her hand, it was red.

" _She must have burned her hand while she was making tea."_ He thought. He glanced at the wall clock and saw how late it was. It was a good time as any to get going, but he couldn't leave Tenten on the couch. He picked her up and carried her to her bedroom and placed on the bed before he put his blazer around her. Just as he turned around to leave Tenten spoke up.

"Neji, wait. Could you stay a little longer?" she tiredly spoke with her eyes closed. He looked at her for a moment before he walked towards the bed and sat next to her. She smiled as soon as he was next to her. Neji brought a sense of comfort and protection to Tenten. Even on his most serious days, she always smiled when she was with him. She definitely wouldn't say this out loud but she developed some strong feelings for her partner over the years.

"You got burned making tea today." He said as he took her hand and gently stroked it.

"Yeah, but it wasn't that big a deal." She spoke with closed eyes. She leaned into him again and felt him put his arm around her. They talked about nothing in particular for a few minutes, until Tenten fell asleep again. Neji was more exhausted than he thought as he too fell asleep.

Xxx

It was well after midnight; Naruto had searched the village for Sakura after he took Hinata home. He finally found her on the training grounds, sitting high up in one of the trees. She was still wearing her dress from her date with Sasuke. All of that seemed so long ago, so much had happened, so much had changed. Naruto climbed up to the branch Sakura was sitting in and sat next to her. She had been crying for a while as her face was stained with tears. She wiped the tears from her face before she spoke.

"This was some birthday; I got hit with two surprises. Sasuke bought me this necklace and he kissed Ino without telling me." She sighed as she looked down. Naruto took in a breath before he spoke.

"Listen Sakura, you can't let this get to you. Ino said it was a mistake. She seemed really guilty about the whole thing." He started

"She probably feels guilty because her secret got out. I know it was a mistake, but it was one that shouldn't have happened."

"I think you're being too hard on them. I think if Ino and Sasuke could erase that mistake, they would." He continued

'If it was just the matter of Ino kissing Sasuke, it would be a different story. But the fact that he kissed her back makes me feel so…" she trailed off

"Betrayed." They said in unison

"Now I find myself asking the typical questions when you get betrayed. Why did he do it? Was there something missing in our relationship? Was there something wrong with me?" she teared up again.

"Do you honestly believe that there's something wrong with you? Or is this how you deal with betrayal? You make up a reason to justify his actions to yourself because you don't want to believe that he would do such a thing, to save yourself from the pain." He answered as he looked at her in the eyes.

"How else can you explain why he did this?!" she half yelled

"Moment of weakness maybe." He answered

"Have you ever known Sasuke Uchiha to be weak?" she raised an eyebrow at him

"Physically and mentally, no. But emotionally I think he's really…tortured. He knows pain and loss a lot better than others. Despair, loneliness and all the other negative emotions, he knows them like the back of his hand. But he's never truly experienced happiness and love. When he started dating you, although he didn't show it, he was truly happy." He smiled before he carried on. "You came up in a lot of our conversations, Sakura. There's one in particular that I remember…"

 _Naruto and Sasuke had just finished sparring for the day. Sakura didn't spar with them, she just watched. When they finished she stood up and took her bag to leave with them .They just finished gathering up their things and meant to head back to the village. Sasuke and Sakura had only been dating for two months._

" _I'll see you guys tomorrow." She said before she gave Naruto a hug and kissed Sasuke on the cheek then turned around and began walking on her own back to the village. Sasuke stood on the spot with his hand on his cheek where Sakura just kissed him._

" _Naruto…why me?" he half whispered_

" _Huh? What are you talking about Sasuke?" Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke._

" _Sakura, why is she with me?" he asked as he looked at the ground_

" _Because she loves you." he answered as though it were a dumb question. Why would Sasuke ask such a thing?_

" _Even after everything I put her through. She still chose to forgive me." He spoke softer_

" _Sasuke, where is all of this coming from? Why are you suddenly doubting yourself?" he asked in a concerned way._

" _I left the village; I hurt her for so long and despite all that she welcomed me back with open arms." Sasuke looked up when he spoke. Naruto still had trouble understanding where the problem was._

" _You probably thought she'd be furious, but the truth is that she was never even angry with you to start with. She was worried about you the entire time. Worried that she might never see you again." Naruto took a step closer to Sasuke as he spoke._

" _I don't deserve a second chance. I don't deserve her."_

" _What's going on with you? Why do you see it as such a bad thing for something good to happen to you? Don't you think you've suffered enough to deserve a little happiness?" Naruto's voice got louder with each sentence._

" _I just don't want to hurt her anymore."_

" _What makes you think you will? You're back in the village and you're with Sakura. She couldn't be happier if she tried. But that's not the point. The point is that you may not have forgiven yourself for what happened, but she has. She hasn't forgotten about it but she's moved past it. You keep saying that she deserves better, and maybe she does, but you can't choose who she dates; you're going to have deal with the fact that she chose you. Deal with it, trust it and believe that she chose you out of love because it's true. Sakura really cares about you Sasuke, unconditionally. That should be enough for you."…_

"You see Sakura, Sasuke's been trying his hardest to make you happy. The last thing he wants is to hurt you." he put his hand on her shoulder.

"You're really trying hard to get Sasuke and me together. Why is that?" she looked at him with a grin

"Sasuke's my best friend and I want him to see that he does deserve this. He deserves to be happy. And when it comes to you Sakura, if there's one thing I'll never get tired of, its making you smile." He finished his sentence with the biggest smile. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Being with Sasuke…I don't think I've ever been happier. Sasuke making a mistake is so rare to me. I guess I'm just not used to it, because he's so perfect…well perfect to me. I guess that just makes it a lot more genuine. I know he'd never hurt me intentionally, but back at the restaurant I was just so surprised that I ended up believing it." She ended her sentence with a light chuckle. "I guess I should talk to him. But I guess that will have to wait until the sun is up. There's no way he's up at this hour." She sighed

"Hn. Well now I wouldn't say that." Sasuke's voice came from a branch above Naruto and Sakura. She looked up and saw Sasuke sitting on a branch just above them with his eyes closed. He jumped down and landed next to her. Naruto smirked at Sasuke and knew it was time to go, so without another word he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.


	8. Chapter 8

**Mistakes**

Sasuke is trying to come up with an idea for Sakura's birthday and asks Ino for help. She gives him the perfect idea and helps him prepare for it until they do something that wasn't in the plan… (Sasusaku and Nejiten, slight Shikaino)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

 **Chapter 8: New Beginnings**

They stood in silence, their gazes locked on each other's eyes. Sakura was so prepared to face Sasuke and talk to him, but now that he was actually standing in front of her, she was at a loss for words. For a moment she couldn't think of anything to say until she finally started speaking.

"Sasuke…you were here the whole time?" she spoke in a low voice. Sasuke sighed before he spoke up.

"Look Sakura, saying that I didn't enjoy that kiss would be lying…" not exactly the words she wanted to hear. "But, I can honestly say that that kiss was a mistake. I didn't mean it."

"Then why did you do it? I just don't understand. Was her kiss that great that you had to return the favour?" she tried to blink back her tears

"It was nothing like that. It's like Ino said, we got caught up in the moment." He tried to explain

"You know Sasuke I've realised that whether I'm standing with you or against you, I'm always the one getting hurt. When we were kids you rejected me everyday. You broke my heart when you left the village for three years. And I thought about you everyday you were gone, and now you do this…kissing Ino and keeping it between the two of you." she couldn't hold back her tears anymore. They slid down her cheeks as she spoke to him.

"Sakura…"

"How many times do you expect me to get hurt, and then forgive you? Because I can only take so much pain before I give up. And I think I've reached my limit, I don't know if I can do this anymore…I don't know if I have it in me to give you another chance, only to end up being hurt again." She looked away from him when she spoke her last sentence.

"Sakura I'm sorry. I really, really am. You know I would never try to hurt you…you're my only reason for living" he put his hands on her shoulders.

"No, Sasuke please don't say that to me now. I…I'm confused and exhausted and I just can't do this right now. Please just go." She pleaded for him to give her some space; she needed time to rest and time to think. He looked at her hard; she couldn't even bring herself to look up at him in the eyes. He respected her wishes and left without another word.

It was two a.m. when Sakura got into bed. She closed her eyes and tried to erase everything that happened. As she waited for slumber to take over, she felt even sadder when Sasuke was absent from her side. She felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes as she thought about him, she couldn't get him out of her head. She felt so confused, when she was with him it hurt and when she wasn't with him, it hurt even more.

The next morning arrived too quickly for Sakura; she dreamt about Sasuke the entire night and finally came to a decision. She got out of bed and walked on to the balcony to get some air. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and enjoyed the wind that combed her short pastel pink hair. When she reopened her eyes, she felt his presence nearby.

"You can come down now." She addressed him

She turned around and saw Sasuke jump down from the roof and land at her balcony door. For a moment they stared at each other in silence before Sakura spoke up.

"Even when I tried to forget about you, you still appeared in my dreams. I just can't get you out of my head and I guess that's because I don't want you gone. Being without you is the most painful thing for me." He took a step closer to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Look Sasuke, I'm not saying that what you did was in any way okay but I can't stand here and get angry at you for every mistake you make, that would be unfair. It's not like I don't make mistakes and giving up on you would be the biggest mistake I could ever make because I still love you." she finished and wrapped her arms around him. He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head upwards to tenderly kiss her on the lips. She leaned into the kiss as she missed having his lips against hers. Although the last time they kissed was the previous day but to her it felt like years.

It was half past eight in the morning. The sun slowly crept up the bed while Neji and Tenten were still asleep. Their breathing was in sync almost as though it was done on purpose. They truly looked like a couple asleep together on the bed. At twenty to nine Neji slowly began waking up. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. It took him a few seconds to register his surroundings. He was in Tenten's room, lying right next to her on the bed. His head was against hers and his arm was around her. She had her arm over his stomach and her head was against his chest.

He was genuinely surprised at how close they moved together throughout the night. He didn't even remember falling asleep last night. He remembered carrying Tenten to her room and lying down next to her but that was as much as he remembered. He carefully sat up as not to disturb Tenten, she was still fast asleep. She looked so peaceful when she slept, a small smile grew on his face as he watched her, and he held her a little closer to him.

About fifteen minutes after Neji woke up; Tenten shifted and opened her eyes. Her cheeks flushed when she felt Neji breathe in as she realised she was asleep on his chest and saw her hand over his stomach.

"You're finally awake." He spoke up. She could feel him smirking at her.

"Yeah, and I slept so comfortably." She looked up at him then sat up and faced him. "And it turns out I wasn't the only one that enjoyed how they slept. I felt your arm around me and I felt you hold me tighter twenty minutes ago." She smirked at him. He raised an eyebrow.

"You're the one that asked me to stay last night after I carried you here."

"I didn't mean the whole night. I just wanted you to stay until I fell asleep again. You could have left then." She stated

"Actually I couldn't."

"And why not?" she asked

"Because that's when you fell asleep against me and put your arm around me." His smirk grew wider when he saw her blush.

"What are you trying to say Neji?" she raised her eyebrow at him

"I'm saying that you have feelings for me." He leaned in closer

"And if I said 'yes Neji, I do have feelings for you' what would you do?" she leaned in as well

"This…" he pulled her in and passionately kissed her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him wrap his arms around her waist. Tenten groaned in delight as she leaned into the kiss and felt the wonderful sensation of kissing him wash over her. If there was one thing she had always wanted, it was to kiss Neji Hyuuga and there she was doing it the privacy of her bedroom. She hungrily kissed him for her lips had longed for the feeling of his against hers for too long.

After what seemed like an eternity of kissing they finally separated and looked into each other's eyes, still in the embrace of each other's arms.

"I guess this means that you have feelings for me too." She smiled at him

"I'd be crazy not to have feelings for someone as amazing as you." his reply made her blush

"As long as were on the subject…I never thought in a million years that you would have feelings for me. I mean I always hoped you did but never believed you did. I always thought that I didn't deserve you."

"Why would you think that?" he asked

"Because, you're a genius, **the** Neji Hyuuga and I'm…" she trailed off

"A brilliant and amazingly skilled kunoichi. I couldn't ask for a better partner even if I wanted to." He finished off for her before he took her hand and kissed it. She wrapped her arms around him.

"You're just too perfect sometimes, you know that?" she spoke up before she chuckled

"Only when I have you with me." He responded

Tenten felt indescribably euphoric now that she had Neji with her. She felt unworthy of him at times but he simply reminded her that she was the most important person to him and she would instantly smile. She was truly grateful that she had someone like him in her life.

As time went by the relationship between Neji and Tenten developed to a point that they eventually told their friends that they were dating. Everyone had seen it coming for they had noticed that they were always together for most of the day. Although they weren't like the usual young couples, they didn't walk hand in hand for the whole world to see. If there was one thing that stood out about Neji Hyuuga it was that he was a private and intimate person. He didn't put his arm around her in public; he would rather kiss her forehead as she slept against him when they were alone together. They had the best moments behind closed doors.

And as for Sasuke and Sakura, it took time but they managed to get back to where they were. Sakura really loved him and refused to give up on him no matter what. They both trusted each other and spent a lot of time together. For her next birthday—instead of planning something with someone else, which almost lost him his girlfriend in the first place—he took her for moonlit pic-nick.

Things seemed to return to normal in The Village Hidden in the Leaves although there were a few changes. A few fights here, some new couples there and some romance in the air. There were times of laughter and times of sadness, luckily there was always a shoulder to cry on. The new dynamic of the young Konohan's couldn't have happened without a few…mistakes.


End file.
